1. field of the Invention
The present invention relates to beekeeping and, more particularly, to a portable beehive.
2. Description of the Related Art
The presence of bees is essential for the pollination of many commercially grown plants. Without pollination, orchard trees, for example, will not bear fruit. Therefore, it is a matter of great importance to a commercial grower to have an ample population of bees at hand at pollination season.
Once pollination has occurred and fruit is growing, the presence of destructive insects may dictate the application of insecticide to the orchard. However, the insecticide may be harmful to the population of beneficial bees. Thus, there is a need for a means to bring bees to an orchard for pollination, and to remove the bees from the orchard when insecticide is used.
To meet this need, beekeepers have rented beehives for temporary use by growers. In the past, traditional wooden hives populated by bees have been placed on pallets. The pallets, along with the hives, are lifted onto trucks and delivered to orchards or other sites where pollination is needed. When pollination is completed, the hives and pallets are returned to the beekeeper, or transferred to another site where pollination is needed.
Since traditional hives are not designed for portable use, there are several disadvantages to using them in this manner. The hives and pallets are expensive, large, and heavy. A flat-bed truck and fork lift may be required to lift and transport the hives and pallets. Such hives do not have a convenient means for shutting up the bees within the hive, so an experienced beekeeper with protective clothing may be needed to load, deliver, and retrieve the hive. The large hives result in a concentration of the bee population in a small area of the orchard rather than a wide, even distribution of bees throughout the orchard.
Accordingly, there is a heretofore unmet need for a beehive that is readily portable, easily sealed and opened, economically constructed, and safe for use by persons unskilled in beekeeping.